We're living in an open-world golden age.
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00:00If there's one thing, and there aren't many things that we can all agree on when it comes to video
00:04games, it's that, boy, there are a lot of them. No matter your preferred genre, game length,
00:09or mechanics, we're all bound to miss out on a gem here and there. That's perhaps no truer than
00:14when we're dealing with open world games, which often, but not always, take a lot of time to get
00:19through. Nobody would blame you if you opted to pick up a sure thing like Skyrim over the games
00:24on this list, but I'm betting if you have played any of these, you can attest to the fantastic
00:29gaming experiences that can be found beyond the front page of digital storefronts on your platform
00:34of choice. Now, obviously, inevitably, some of you will have played these games, but if you haven't,
00:39our title holds up, and if you have, hopefully, we can have a good little nostalgia trip in the
00:44comments. I'm Jess from WhatCulture, and here are the 10 best open world video games you didn't play.
00:49Number 10. Eastshade. Eastshade is a combat-free open world adventure game that's achingly pretty.
00:55The game kicks off with you shipwrecked on potentially the world's prettiest island,
01:00inhabited by a bunch of humanoid animals and other critters. While you won't be battling it
01:04out, you will be doing a good handful of other things, like exploring, crafting, creating paintings,
01:11completing side quests, and a few more, well, eccentric activities, like solving a crime and
01:17playing matchmaker between a couple of bears. It's an odd little game that won't be to everyone's
01:22tastes, which makes it easy to overlook, but if you can get past the technical stumbles and it
01:27sounds like your thing, it's a rare gem of a gaming experience. Number 9. Biomutant. Another great
01:33open world game with an eye-catching art style is action RPG Biomutant. Trading out the all-too-common
01:39color palette of gray, brown, and more gray, Biomutant instead decides to paint its open world and
01:45colorful characters in vivid hues. While some people found it a little rough around the edges,
01:50it earned praise for the flexibility with which you can build your character,
01:54the ability to blend play styles, nuanced RPG mechanics, and letting you choose what kind of
02:00fuzzy anthropomorphic mammal you want to be and how you'll treat those around you.
02:04This one doesn't reinvent the wheel, and as a result its critical success wasn't much to write
02:09home about, but the combat is slick and satisfying, there's plenty of quests to cross off for that
02:13dopamine hit, and the world is just really pretty and fun to be a part of. There's a ton of different
02:19skills and abilities to spec into for the RPG fans, dynamic action-oriented combat for the action
02:25buffs, and an adorable protagonist for those of us who just want to say,
02:29aww, look how fuzzy. If you ignored this one because it didn't get gangbuster review scores,
02:34you may want to give it another chance. Number 8. Pathologic 2. There's a few reasons this one
02:39might have passed you by. It's a sequel, it's brutally unforgiving, we're dealing with a heavy dose of
02:44weird, and it's more than a little spooky. If you can deal with that though, Pathologic 2 is a heck
02:50of a game you don't want to miss. The 2019 adventure survival game casts you as a man who once left the
02:56strange town, and has now returned to find it plague-ridden and strewn with bodies. You'll need
03:01to manage your time as you'll be playing on a clock, and there is a nuanced decision-making system
03:05that can have dire consequences. NPCs will give you quests, you'll need to balance your resources,
03:11manage your hunger and health, and unravel the story to get to a satisfying end point.
03:16Pathologic 2 might be extremely difficult as survival games go, but it's rewarding when you
03:21discover a path forward, and its mysteries are incredibly enticing. Some players were admittedly
03:26put off by its bugs and difficulty, but if that sounds like something you can handle,
03:31its positives are more than worth it. Number 7. The Forgotten City. Given this one began as a mod
03:36for Skyrim, it's a really impressive standalone game. In this really clever RPG, you find yourself
03:41in an ancient Roman city, cut off from the rest of the world, and, it seems, the rest of time.
03:48You'll take on various side quests from the city's other inhabitants as you learn more about
03:51your predicament, unravel the mysteries of the strange place, and try to figure out why everybody
03:57turns to gold when somebody breaks a specific set of laws. This one easily could have flown under
04:02your radar, as the original mod was made by just a single developer, and even the full game was
04:07only made by a small Australian studio. Despite all that, the result is pretty darn special. There
04:12are a multitude of endings to achieve depending on your choices and how much of the story you
04:17unraveled, and piecing together the puzzle as you go is immensely satisfying. If you're one of those
04:22who didn't try it out for one reason or another, and you're a fan of unique open worlds with enthralling
04:27narratives, this one will be right up your alley. Number 6. The Pathless. This is an open
04:32world game that you might not have played because it came out at the end of 2020 in an absolutely
04:37packed release period. If you're anything like me, you might remember The Pathless when it debuted at
04:42the Game Awards in 2018 with a very cool trailer, and perhaps you also didn't even realise that it
04:48launched. Which honestly can happen when you bring out an indie game in November, the busiest release
04:53month of the year. Those who did play it though could tell you The Pathless did a pretty darn good job
04:58of delivering on its promises. The game has a gorgeous aesthetic, satisfying traversal controls
05:04and smooth hunting mechanics. The dashing mechanic that enables you to move faster the more you shoot
05:08targets to maintain momentum is pretty cool in action, and the world design is an absolute treat.
05:14Though the game was criticised for being repetitive in some sections, boss fights were praised for their
05:19intensity and level of challenge, the soundtrack is lovely, and the vivid colours and lighting used
05:24throughout the map are enchanting. Number 5. Gothic 2. I'm gonna guess you fall into one of two
05:30categories here. You either haven't played Gothic 2 and our title holds up, or you have played Gothic
05:352 and think more people really should play Gothic 2. This is a game you might have missed since it
05:40wasn't a universal critical success compared to some other early 2000s RPGs. But for those willing to put
05:46a little more work in to wade into the challenging signpost-free game world, Gothic 2 is really something
05:52special. Made by Piranha Bytes who also created Risen and Elix, two more games that could be right at home
05:58on this list, Gothic 2 is a perfect example of Eurojank. It's a genre that doesn't appeal to everyone,
06:05but these rough-around-the-edges experiences can be oozing with charm, dozens of different mechanics,
06:10and inspired game worlds peppered with interesting characters. Gothic 2 may indeed be two decades old now,
06:16but if you missed out on it, it could well be one of the best fantasy role-playing experiences you
06:21never played. Number 4. The Saboteur. In 2009, Pandemic Studios released The Saboteur, an action
06:28adventure set in Paris in the 1940s. The open world game casts you as an Irishman fighting for a French
06:34resistance group in World War II, though you engage by sneaking about and sabotaging behind the scenes
06:39instead of through all-out combat. The intriguing art style is also gorgeous as the open world is initially
06:45coated in a black and white filter, which falls away revealing the natural colours beneath once you
06:51liberate each of Paris' burrows and its surroundings. Beyond its compelling unique qualities that set it
06:57apart in the genre, The Saboteur also delivers super enjoyable moment-to-moment gameplay. Despite all that,
07:03it actually didn't see any wild critical or commercial success, so it could have easily passed you by.
07:09But hey, it's on your radar now. Number 3. Greedfall.
07:12Now, the last time I compiled a list of RPGs that were sorely underrated which more people should
07:17have played, I did not put Greedfall on it, and we're not going to make that mistake again.
07:21This is another unique game that might be overlooked simply because it isn't from a AAA studio.
07:26The action RPG was released in 2019 by French studio Spiders and published by Focus Home.
07:32The setting blends fantasy and 17th century colonialism, which was music to the ears of some
07:37and off-putting to others, resulting in a bunch of people giving the game a miss. Under the hood though,
07:43there's well-balanced Witcher-esque combat, a gorgeous game world to explore, and genuinely
07:48satisfying RPG progression alongside a healthy dose of challenge, particularly in boss encounters.
07:54This is yet another game that you could have missed out on if you saw one or two bad reviews,
07:58but if it sounds like your thing, don't be put off.
08:00Number 2. Immortals Fenyx Rising.
08:03If there's one thing we're trying to convey in this list, it's that just because a few major
08:07outlets may not have loved a game doesn't mean you won't, and Immortals Fenyx Rising is another
08:13great example of that. Cast aside by a good number of people for being Breath of the Wild Light,
08:19a good number of people didn't even try their hand at this one on reputation alone,
08:23which is a darn shame because there's a pretty entertaining game in here.
08:26It may not have garnered the scores for you to run out and pick it up as a must-play,
08:31but Fenyx Rising has a grand, colourful world replete with mythical beasts to best,
08:36intricate puzzles to solve, and a story to unravel. The combat is satisfyingly complex,
08:41there are powers to utilise, and unlike a lot of these very serious RPGs,
08:46Fenyx Rising isn't afraid to have a bit more fun with itself. Dialogue is often amusing,
08:50and the whole narrative plays out as a story being told to Zeus by Prometheus.
08:54The humour is a really lovely touch, as is the vivid, oversaturated game world,
08:59because, as we said earlier, we've really had enough of Grey. If you played Breath of the Wild
09:04and wanted more of that vibe, but in a smaller package, Fenyx Rising gets the job done.
09:09Number 1. Mad Max. Mad Max is such a bizarre case. I remember everyone talking about this game before
09:15it came out, and then it seemed like next to no one played it because it wasn't universally
09:19critically acclaimed upon release. That remains true, but it's a massive shame,
09:23because the one person I know who did play it absolutely loved it, and if that happens to be
09:28you in your friendship group, I'm assuming you agree with me. The 2015 action adventure was made
09:32by Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios, and while it was criticised by some reviewers for
09:37having a lacklustre story, there's a lot to love in there too. The compelling world design and
09:43sprawling sandbox offers up the ideal playground for vehicular combat, exploring, and action encounters.
09:49In particular, the game was also praised for its exciting weather effects, impressive map scale,
09:54and unique regions. Perhaps most importantly, Avalanche just did an excellent job of bringing
09:59the enthralling and violent world of Mad Max to a video game experience. Though many gave it a miss
10:04because of its uneven review scores, those who vibed with its strengths are really glad they gave it a go.
10:09That's the end of our list, but do let me know down in that comment section if you can think of any
10:13other open world video games that not enough people have played. As always, I've been Jess from
10:18WhatCulture. Thank you so much for hanging out with me. If you like, you can come say hi to me
10:22on my Twitter account where I'm at JessMcDonald, but make sure that you stay tuned to us here for
10:27plenty more great gaming lists.